“We’re excited to have them back”: NZ women’s coach Ben Swayer on Mair, Gaze’s return to squad

Wellington [New Zealand], June 15 (ANI): New Zealand women’s coach Ben Sawyer expressed his happiness as pace bowler Rosemary Mair and wicketkeeper Izzy Gaze made it to the White Ferns’ women’s squad for their upcoming tour of Sri Lanka.

Mair makes a return after featuring last in the international colours back at the Commonwealth Games in August last year. She was omitted from the team’s trips to the West Indies and T20 World Cup in South Africa.
19-year-old Gaze comes into the squad as a backup for Bernadine Bezuidenhout. She was also a player who also missed out on the campaign in South Africa.

Sawyer welcomed back the pair, saying in a statement released by New Zealand Cricket on Thursday, “We’re excited to have Rosemary and Izzy back.”

“Both players have worked hard on their respective games since their last international tours and we’re looking forward to seeing how they handle the challenges that this tour will bring,’ he added.

“They both bring their own unique strengths to the group and we hope that they’ll contribute to what will hopefully be a successful tour,” Swayer added.

New Zealand will play three T20Is, as well as three ODIs as part of the ICC Women’s Championship.

For Sawyer, this tour presents the ideal opportunity for the group to experiment in unknown conditions.

“This is the first time almost all of the squad will have experienced playing in Sri Lanka so it’s a good opportunity for our players to develop their game in testing sub-continent conditions,” he said.

“Sri Lanka will pose challenges with the unfamiliar conditions out in the middle, but also with the heat and humidity, so we will need to be able to adapt quickly both on and off the field,” Swayer added.

Of the squad named, only Sophie Devine and Suzie Bates have experience of playing in Sri Lanka as they took part in the 2012 Women’s T20 World Cup, which was hosted by the island-nation.

The rest of the squad features some of the regular faces with the likes of Amelia Kerr, Lea Tahuhu and Maddy Green all finding places. Eden Carson and Fran Jonas join Kerr in the group of young spinners.

Batter Lauren Down will remain unavailable for the tour due to family reasons while Hayley Jensen will also miss out on the tour, as she continues to recover from a knee surgery.

New Zealand squad: Sophie Devine (c), Suzie Bates, Bernadine Bezuidenhout, Eden Carson, Izzy Gaze, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Fran Jonas, Amelia Kerr, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Molly Penfold, Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu.